John Glenn in Mercury suit with helmet. Courtesy of Wikipedia

From space, there’s great runners lesson from astronaut.

I used to work in the space shuttle program. I remember getting excited to see astronauts visit us on the assembly floor and have little chats. These men and women are for real and just thinking they do fly these huge engines and do space exploration is so amazing to me.

How do they qualify to be astronauts? They have to be very special human beings.

Runners Lesson From Astronaut John Glenn

One popular astronaut is John Glenn. Remember he was also a former senator.

He became the fifth person in space, the third American in space and the first American to orbit the Earth. Aboard Friendship 7 on February 20, 1962, on the Mercury-Atlas 6 mission, circling the globe three times.

Perth, Western Australia became known worldwide as the “City of Light” when city residents lit their house lights and streetlights as Glenn passed overhead.

The city repeated the act when Glenn rode the Space Shuttle in 1998. During the mission there was concern over a ground indication that his heat shield had come loose, which could allow it to fail during re-entry through the atmosphere, which would result in his capsule burning up.

Runners Lesson From Astronaut – Deal With Adversity

Flight controllers had Glenn modify his re-entry procedure by keeping his retrorocket pack on over the shield in an attempt to keep it in place. He was able to steer his spacecraft safely back to earth, and afterwards it was determined that the indicator was faulty.

He fought adversity in a death and life situation in space. Must have been a very nerve-racking…

With all the greatest tools and technology available, all of these won’t work unless you have a human being and a great man of character to steer it.

Runners Lesson From Astronaut  – Determination

That brings us to a runners heart. The determination to finish your goal despite adversity means success or failure.

Yes anybody can gear up with the best shoes, supplements and the coaching that are available. In the end, it is you who will put forth the effort. You will be the one conquering the miles and dealing with the situations and challenges along the route to the finish line.

You don’t necessarily have to deal with life and death situation (just like John Glenn) to finish the race but it will take a special kind of determination to make it happen.

Remember you are a runner and you are special.

What runners lesson from astronaut have you to share?

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Let’s see…rattlesnake is a unique specie only found in North America. No where in the world can you find these interesting creature.

They are part of (early) American culture and history? I heard they do have 13 rattles representing the early 13 colonies of what we now know as the United States of America.

Besides history, rattlesnake are known to be not aggressive snakes. They do mind their own business. Don’t mess up with them and they will leave you alone. They won’t chase you as long as you don’t bother them unlike other snakes.

If you do, they give you a warning first. Isn’t that something? They will rattle first and if you continue they become a different beast. They will protect and defend themselves and it is a do or die situation from that point forward.

That brings us to a runners lesson from rattlesnake. You see, it’s like they fully commit to doing what it takes to get the job (to defend) done. They know what to do (plan) and execute (finish) and give it all. No messing and guessing around.

Commitment is something that runners can learn from rattlesnake.

If you decide on a running goal of some sort, do your best to get it accomplished. It is natural that challenges begins to come up just as soon as you decide to do one.

You see it’s one of those natures law. Anything good is bound to be attacked and put down. Getting past and on top of  the challenges determines the degree of anyone’s success.

A fully committed person will find ways to win…

Just like the rattlesnake, they operate mostly on the defensive, but when challenged and switches to offense these creatures will deal it at any cost.

Commit. Do. Finish!

What do you think…have you a runners lesson from rattlesnake or any creature out there to share?

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird Tattoo Picture courtesy of Larissa

Runners lesson from hummingbird is what I have in mind after reading a friends feed online;

“I got my first tattoo yesterday, the hummingbird symbolizes perseverance & tirelessness and energy…”

Let’s see why LORA B from Dailymile(dot)com did it. And we’ll share a little research, we got ours from wikipedia, to validate her arguments here;

Hummingbirds are among the smallest of birds. They can hover in mid-air by rapidly flapping their wings 12–80 times per second (depending on the species). They are also the only group of birds able to fly backwards. They can fly at speeds exceeding 31 miles per hour.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #1 – Quality Diet

OK, let’s see some runners lesson from hummingbird.

Hummingbirds drink nectar, a sweet liquid inside certain flowers. Like bees;

• they are able to assess the amount of sugar in the nectar they eat
• they reject flower types that produce nectar that is less than 10% sugar
• and prefer those whose sugar content is stronger.

Nectar is a poor source of nutrients, so hummingbirds meet their needs for protein, amino acids, vitamins, minerals, etc. by preying on insects and spiders.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #2 – Persevere or Die

With the exception of insects, hummingbirds while in flight have the highest metabolism of all animals, a necessity in order to support the rapid beating of their wings. Their heart rate can reach as high as 1,260 beats per minute. They also consume more than their own weight in nectar each day, and to do so they must visit hundreds of flowers daily. Hummingbirds are continuously hours away from starving to death, and are able to store just enough energy to survive overnight.

That’s one good runners lesson from hummingbird.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #3 – Store Up Energy

Studies of hummingbirds’ metabolisms are highly relevant to the question of how a migrating Ruby-throated Hummingbird can cross 800 km (500 mi) of the Gulf of Mexico on a nonstop flight. This hummingbird, like other birds preparing to migrate, stores up fat to serve as fuel, thereby augmenting its weight by as much as 100 percent and hence increasing the bird’s potential flying time.

Runners Lesson From Humming Bird #4 – Myth or NOT

Runners lesson from hummingbird or not. This is good to know (I think…)

Aztecs wore hummingbird talismans, the talismans being representations as well as actual hummingbird fetishes formed from parts of real hummingbirds: emblematic for their vigor, energy, and propensity to do work along with their sharp beaks that mimic instruments of weaponry, bloodletting, penetration, and intimacy. Hummingbird talismans were prized as drawing sexual potency, energy, vigor, and skill at arms and warfare to the wearer.

I don’t’ know if Lora knows all these but she hit a few target…

What about you, what’s your running tattoo?

Anyways, hopefully you will pick some runners lesson from hummingbird.

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“NO, you don’t have to take pain medication right away”, he mentioned. Most often than not a simple technique of putting a firm pillow behind your back when sitting for a long period of time is all that’s needed. Lumbar back support to correct proper posture is a very simple and effective way to fix the problem.

That said, are runners affected by improper posture or running technique as well?

I asked him and he said posture is everything. Our spine needs to function the way it was meant to be, otherwise lower and upper back pain is bound to happen…

Anyway, I found an article that talks about running and back pain and offers some simple steps to end the misery. Here’s a few words from the article;

“If you experience back pain whilst running or following a run, check out the common causes below.

• Worn or inappropriate running shoes
• Trying to hold yourself upright
• Pushing forward to run
• Too much bounce in your stride

If your running shoes are worn out or not suitable for you…READ MORE

Keep on running folks. Enjoy it and take care of your back in the process.

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We hear the opinions of runners from around the world as they battle this question – are you “air cooled” like an old V-dub?

OK folks…I found this article with a podcast that talks about (x-rated) running.

I find it interesting and wanted to share them with you..before you go out running …Read full article here,

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We all know that nature have ways of teaching us lessons…

Take for example the V-formation flights from geese. These birds are known to travel far distances in this particular formation.

So why do they fly this way? There has been several studies by experts on this subject.

” a study done sometime back also shed some light on this particular V-formation. This study discovered that birds flying in V-format had lower heart rate than birds flying alone. Why? The aerodynamic V shape formation reduces the air drag (air resistance) that each bird experiences when in flight in comparison to a bird flying solo. These allows them to cover longer distances (thousands of miles) with much less effort. for example, geese can achieve a greater distance…”READ FULL ARTICLE

Runners Lesson from Geese – TEAMWORK

It takes teamwork to get a group in V-formation and specially for a long distance of flight. There must be some kind of communication that goes on before, during and after.

Before: Some one has to lead and all must agree. Who’s staying in front and how long plus, how is the rotation going to be.
During: There’s got to be some challenges along the way that requires changes. Flight conditions can change and the birds can feel fatigue at anytime requiring quick minute adjustments.
After: I’m going to make this up. A driver analytical bird will get feeds or history from the flight as to what may have gone right and gone wrong and make it better the next flight. Then, relays the message to others so that they will all benefit from it (OK, how did i do?)…

Alright,with teamwork in place efficiency is achieved. The V-formation makes them victorious in flight conquering the distance together.

Runners Lesson from Geese – For Real

To runners this is best explained in group running. Try following a group of runners doing speed work. Draft behind the pack and you will feel the pull. Speeds that you can’t do by yourself is achieved when there is a lead pack. It may not be a perfect V-formation but it does have the same effect. The run or speed work is so much more efficient…

When running in races, try drafting behind runners every time you have a chance. Be polite though and let them know you’ll be following behind (if its OK) and thank them as they separate from you.

Believe me, in long distance running this technique (drafting) can be the key on running your personal best. I have done it when I broke my personal best with just one (1) second. That’s right a mere one second…

Take the V-formation, teamwork and efficiency as runners lesson from geese. Go ahead and try it next time.

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Let’s find something we love or enjoy doing to get our health better this year 2012…

For me, running is one of them. I’ve been slacking myself the past few months on my runs but will press on to do better. Thanks to reminders like the quotation from above…

Happy New Year to All.

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Well, the Holidays is something to look forward to. Friends and family get together are plenty. There’s plenty of food, food and food.

I love to eat. Not really worried about gaining a few pounds this time of the year.

As a runner. All I have to do is increase my mileage and do a little extra workout…

It always works for me.

Plus, I get to work my wood fired oven. You see, I built a brick oven years back and it still provides us good food specially this time. Guests actually expects pizza and other favorites to get cooked in this oven. Roast turkey and BBQ ribs has made it in this oven.

I remember filling the oven with 24 loaf pan and baking banana bread in one firing. This was a perfect specialty Christmas gift for that year. It was a hit. Everybody wants one.

Now you know why is this runner all fired-up!

I’d like to share the short video above. We did pizza and focaccia. The very next day we have Korean BBQ and corn in the wood-fired oven done.

Next year when someone ask “why is this runner all fired up?”, you know it’s the food, food and food.

What does these all mean or have to do with running?

It’s all about MOTIVATION. If you love what you do;

• A lot of good things can happen. You do and achieve more
• Time goes fast when your having fun
• You enjoy every moment or activity and things are (more often than not) done right
• Challenges are overcome, solutions seems to be readily available
• You feel good about what you do, and the results are in your favor
• and a lot more…

There you go. Love what you do.

If it is running, keep on lacing up and find your motivation and keep doing it. Associate with like minded people. These can be your friends, family members or in these day and age you can go online and join running social clubs…

I hang around positive and highly motivated runners at Dailymile.

Cooking or baking may not be your cup of tea but for me at least this time of the year… why is this runner all fired-up? Its the FOOD…

The best of the New Year to all.

Here’s a video that pretty much defines or summarizes what a runner is.

Very entertaining and I can bet my 10 cents you can relate to it in some ways…

Watch it below….

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However, if anyone were to realize what a rooster does daily, there maybe something that will surprise many runners, myself included.

I was coming home one morning and there it was, a rooster right in my front gate. He’s just standing and not even intimidated by my presence at all. Usually, chicken will run or move away in a hurry…this little thing  does not budge!

I have seen this bird from one of my running routes in the neighborhood. I’ve heard him crow many times and jump from where he and the hen stays at night ( I would assume) and start the day, as I pass by.

So what can runners learn from roosters?

I’d like to say - consistency. This bird starts the day early and for some reason it crows almost at the same time early in the morning. It seems like it has a built in alarm that sounds of when it’s due, rain or shine! This is a routine for roosters. It’ll crow and make the sound. It’s like doing an exercise of the lungs. Plus, if you’ve seen them do it you’ll notice they do flap there wings a few times (looks like a warm-up)…

Now, if you’re a runner and trying to reach a certain goal or finish time for a 5k, a 10k or even a marathon, training daily and consistently – will prove to be a great asset. And yes, even when the running conditions are not that great outside. Consistency and perseverance are important.

So the question, “What can runners learn from roosters?” can be answered with consistency. Lets put it in it’s simplest perspective like;

• taking your vitamins daily
• warm up and cool down before any run or exercise activity
• eat or drink recovery nutrition
• be safe while out and about
• and more…

There’s always something to discover during a runners daily run. The views, the sounds, the smell and things on the way provide opportunities for motivation to keep (me) going.

Plus, I just love seeing nature and farm animals around specially at break of dawn or early morning, in the big city.

Who would have thought this runner actually learned something from a lose rooster from the neighborhood?

What can runners learn from roosters…besides consistency?

Maybe it’s time to have a harder look at this bird (or others) next time you lace up and put on some miles.

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